Learn to Love
by angelofmusic98
Summary: The minute Erik saw Christine, he knew she had to be his. It just so happened that his way of getting her would be unconventional. Will Christine eventually learn to love a monster, or will she choose Raoul? Modern day kidnap fic, reviews/suggestions always appreciated!
1. Chapter 1

The strange feeling in the pit of her stomach had started that morning. Christine had tried to tell herself that it was just because she lived alone and was too paranoid, but as the day continued she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her.

It was now getting late, and Christine was returning to her apartment after a busy day of college classes and running errands. She had just closed the door on her car, when she felt a few raindrops on her cheek.

"Fitting end to a day like today," Christine mumbled to herself, as she quickened her pace to outrun the coming storm.

About a minute later, she heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind her. But when she whipped around to see who was following her, the parking lot was completely empty except for her.

Even more unnerved than she was before, Christine began running to the door of her apartment building. She had nearly reached the front door when the rain began coming down in sheets. She quickly turned the handle and went inside, frustrated that the rain had thoroughly soaked her, though she was only out in the worst of it for about 5 seconds.

"Well, would you look at what the cat dragged in." A familiar voice called out to her from down the hallway, causing her to smile. It was her good friend and neighbor, Raoul.

"I hope you didn't have any grand plans of going out tonight. Even being out in that rain for 5 seconds will soak your clothes." To prove her point, Christine grabbed a corner of her shirt and wrung it out on the floor, causing a small puddle of water to form. This caused Raoul to laugh.

"You know," he started, "some might consider a night of these conditions… romantic." He inched towards Christine, eyes never breaking contact with hers.

She gulped. She had never been good in these sorts of situations, and she knew that this time would be no different.

"Um… yes I suppose some might consider a night like this to be somewhat romantic. I mean, I've never particularly thought so, since I've always been more of one to enjoy a sunny day, and who likes to get wet outside of a shower anyways?" Christine had become aware of Raoul's proximity to her, and avoided his piercing gaze.

It wasn't that she disliked Raoul, he was one of her best friends. When she first moved into her apartment here, he was the first one to introduce himself to her. From there, their friendship had grown steadily. But it had just been within these past couple of weeks that Christine had become of his, um, _feelings_ towards her. Christine had never had a boy feel this way about her before, so the prospect terrified and excited her at the same time.

Raoul chuckled. "I suppose, if you look at it that way. Here, let me carry your bag for you. It's the least I could do." He reached his hand out for Christine's purse, which she gladly surrendered to him.

They walked in silence down the hall until they reached the elevator, as Christine's apartment was on the second floor. The elevator arrived quickly, much to Christine's delight. She could hardly bear the awkward silence between them.

Once arriving at the second floor, it was another long walk to the other end of the hallway, where Christine's and Raoul's apartments were, side by side.

Raoul handed Christine her purse back as they stopped in front of her door. "Thank you, Raoul." Christine said, blushing ever so slightly.

"It was my pleasure, Christine." Raoul bent down to kiss her hand, and as his lips met her skin, a small smile appeared on her face. He lingered on her hand for a few seconds, then released her and retreated to his apartment, shutting the door behind him.

Christine's smile grew larger, as she entered her apartment and shut the door behind her. Maybe she did have a real chance with Raoul after all!

She set her purse down on the table, and immediately flopped on her couch, worn out from her busy day. She wasn't sitting for more than 10 seconds when her phone began ringing. She sighed, and dug it out of her pocket. Unknown caller.

That feeling in the pit of her stomach was back again. Everything in her told her not to answer this phone call, and yet somehow, she couldn't resist. She pressed the green 'Accept' button and lifted the cell to her ear. "Hello?' She answered cautiously.

"Hello, Christine." A man's voice answered on the other end of the phone conversation. His voice was so smooth, almost hypnotic.

"H-hello? Who is this? And how do you know my name?" She could feel panic rising inside her.

"Turn around, Christine." He answered. She clung to the phone even tighter, and slowly turned her body so that she was facing her patio door.

She nearly dropped her phone and shrieked when she saw a man, dressed all in black, standing on the other side of the door. In his hand was a cell phone, pressed against his ear.

Christine began trembling. She wouldn't consider herself to be a scaredy-cat, but she wouldn't consider herself to be that brave, either. Oh, how she wished Raoul would appear beside her!

He spoke again. "Come to the door, Christine. Come to me, my angel." His voice was so soothing, as if he were a father trying to calm a child that couldn't sleep. Her mind beat against what she was about to do, and yet she was helpless against his power.

She put one foot in front of the other, and slowly walked towards the patio door. Lightning illuminated the sky, and rain still came down in sheets. She stopped just in front of the door. Now there was just a thin pane of glass separating her and this stranger in black.

"Open the door, Christine. Come to your angel of music." He spoke again, and she was yet again helpless to fight against what he told her. She reached down to unlock the door, but hesitated, her fingers hovering just above the lock.

"Do not be afraid of me. Come to me."

She unlocked the door, and he slowly opened it and stepped a foot inside her apartment. Now she could view this stranger in the full light.

He was tall, about 5 inches taller than her. He wore all black, but it didn't look like the usual uniform of a creepy man that shows up at your house late at night. Instead, he was dressed in a well-tailored suit, with a cape around his shoulders and white gloves on his hands. But the most striking thing about his appearance was the mask that only covered half of his face. If he were trying to disguise his identity, why only cover half of his face?

Every fiber of Christine's being told her to get away from this man, to run away and hope to never see him again. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She was entranced with this man, and did not realize that their eyes were locked until he looked away.

He did not speak again, just gently took her hand. She took note of how graceful his movements were, like he was treating her as if she were made of glass and could break at any second.

"Come with me, my angel of music. Come with me." He spoke again, and pulled her towards the door. She took one step, then another, until she was outside with him. She noticed that the rain had stopped, and the storm was no more.

The mysterious man led her towards the second-floor fire escape. He moved with great precision, and while he was leading them both, he turned around often to be sure that Christine could keep up with his quick pace.

They reached the top of the fire escape, and he started down the ladder. He made it down a few rungs before he urged Christine to follow him.

"Down here, Christine. Do not be afraid. I will be with you the entire way." He had a certain way about him that made her feel as if the whole world had been righted. How could she not follow this man?

She tentatively placed a foot on a rung. Once she was sure that she was steady, the other foot followed. She was almost to the bottom, with the man in black already on the ground, when her foot missed a rung, and she nearly fell.

The man in black saw right away what had happened, and moved quickly to be sure that she wouldn't fall. He steadied her by putting a hand on her hip. She gasped at the touch, and leaned into it, righting herself. He kept his steady hand planted on her hip until she was safely on the ground. She turned, and could see a black car waiting for the both of them on the curb.

He once again took her hand, and lead her towards the car. He opened the door for her, when the power of his hypnotic voice worked no more on her. Christine snapped to her senses, and realized what was happening.

"No… no, this can't be happening!" She turned away from the car and started to run away, but she only got two steps away before the man put his arms around her from behind, stilling her squirming.

"It's okay, Christine. Don't fight me. Everything will be okay." He did his best to shush her.

She struggled for about a minute, when suddenly her eyes became very heavy. She could no longer keep them open.

"Let… me… go…" she barely got out in a whisper before she fell asleep in the stranger's arms.

Now that she was asleep and couldn't fight him anymore, the man could continue without a struggle. He gently picked her up, and laid her in the backseat of his car.

"You'll see, Christine. Even an angel can learn to love a monster."


	2. Chapter 2

Ever since his encounter with Christine in the apartment foyer, Raoul couldn't get her out of his head. The way she teased him, the way she smiled when he took her bag, even the way she wrung out her wet shirt on the carpet.

And yet he couldn't bring himself to go visit her, even though she was right next door.

How would he know if she felt the same way? What if he was completely wrong about the connection he thought they shared?

But he had to see her again. He didn't know of anyone else that could make him feel this way.

Before better judgement could get ahold of him, Raoul was out of his door and standing outside Christine's. He raised his hand and knocked on the door without hesitation.

No answer.

"It's very possible she's asleep. She did look exhausted when she came in tonight…" he thought out loud.

He decided to try the door handle, in case it happened to be open, before he went back to his own apartment. To his surprise, her door was unlocked.

He opened the door cautiously. He didn't want to wake her in case she was sleeping. But he had a funny feeling that something wasn't right.

The feeling grew stronger when he opened the door all the way. All the lights were on, and Christine's purse was on the table. Christine was nowhere in sight. But the thing that concerned him was the wide-open patio door. Christine always locked doors behind her, and she would never just forget to shut one.

He did a quick scan of all the rooms to see if Christine was actually there and he was just being paranoid. However, he wasn't sure what would be better at this point. He wanted Christine safe, of course, but he wasn't sure about how she'd feel about him breaking into her apartment uninvited.

Bedroom, nope.

Bathroom, not there.

He even checked the closet, and she wasn't there.

With shaky hands, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and quickly dialed Christine's number, which he knew by heart by now.

"Hi, this is Christine! I can't come to my phone right now, so leave a message!" Her perky voice came through loud and clear on her voicemail.

Raoul slammed a hand on her table in frustration. "Hi, Christine? Listen, I'm a little worried about you. If you could give me a call back soon to let me know that you're okay, that would be great." He pressed the 'End Call' button and returned his phone to his pocket.

Not knowing what else he could do then, Raoul left Christine's apartment, being sure to shut the door behind him. He would find out what happened to her, no matter what it would take.


	3. Chapter 3

The mysterious man drove through the night, Christine still asleep in the backseat. He smiled to himself. His angel was in his backseat! He had been waiting for this day for over 2 years. Ever since laid eyes on this beautiful girl, he knew she had to be his.

Most would say that he was kidnapping the girl, but he preferred to think of it as saving her. He knew of her father's death a mere 6 months ago. He knew that she had shut out most of her friends and family and even moved to another city to escape the memories. And he knew that he could bring her out of this darkness, if she could learn to love him.

His mind snapped to reality. How could she love him? She didn't yet know the true man behind the mask.

A stirring in the backseat caught his attention. Christine was starting to wake up.

"Ah, I see you're awake. Impeccable timing, as we are nearing our destination." He said to her, not sounding as if any of this was out of the ordinary.

Christine opened her eyes, and blinked a few times to take in her surroundings. When did she get in a car? And who was driving?

"W-who are you?" she said, barely able to get it out even as a whisper. She couldn't remember the last time her throat was this dry.

"You can call me Erik." The man in the driver's seat said calmly. That voice… she could swear she had heard it before…

Then all the events that had happened just a few hours before came crashing back.

"But… you… how…" She sputtered, unable to piece together a coherent thought.

He only turned his head slightly at her ramblings.

So many thoughts were running through her head all at once. " _What does he want with me? Why did he kidnap me? Is he going to kill me? How far away am I from home? Did he drug me? What's happening?"_

He spoke, almost as if he could read her mind. "Don't worry, Christine. Everything will be just fine." He spoke in the same hypnotic tone that he had used earlier to lure her from her apartment. Why was he always so calm? This seemed nothing like the kidnappings she had heard about on the news or read about in books.

Christine could feel panic rising inside her. She frantically tried to open the passenger door, but to no avail.

"There's no use trying to escape. For one, you could never outrun me, and that is assuming you would be well enough to run after jumping from a moving car." He spoke again. However, this did nothing to deter Christine from escaping. She just had to find the right time.

"It doesn't matter anyways, because we've arrived." Erik turns the car onto a narrow dirt road surrounding by dense trees, the kind of road that you would surely miss if you weren't looking for it.

Christine looked out the window. They were pulling into the driveway of what looked to be a large house. However, it was much nicer of a house than she expected a kidnapper to have.

Erik parked the car outside the front door, and exited the car. He came around to her side of the car, and opened the passenger door. Terrified, Christine bolted to the other side of the car, not wanting to be anywhere near him. He held out his hand, a gentle expression on his face. "Come on, Christine. You can't stay in the car," He said, firmly. When she didn't make a move towards him, he started towards her.

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked, and swatted his hand away. A flicker of annoyance and maybe sadness crossed his face, but it quickly disappeared.

"Christine, you do not have a say in the matter. I am in charge here. Now, are you going to get out of the car yourself, or do I have to drag you out?" He replied, in a tone that scared her. Erik was definitely crazy, maybe even crazy enough to kill her.

She let out a sigh, and scooted her way to the open door where Erik was standing. His hand was still outstretched to her, but she brushed it aside. She wanted as little physical contact with him as possible.

She had about stood up outside the car when an opportunity to escape presented itself. Erik's piercing gaze left her for just a second, but it was enough. Christine lept out of the car, and started running away from Erik and his house as far as her legs would carry her. She didn't know the last time she had run this fast.

Erik saw her dart away, and sighed. Maybe it would take more work than he thought to get Christine to love him. Couldn't she see that he didn't want to hurt her? He didn't know how he could make it more obvious.

Erik started after Christine, but at a considerably slower pace. He knew these woods surrounding his house, and he knew that they were nearly impossible to find your way through, especially in the dark. Luckily, he knew them, and his eyes were accustomed to seeing in the dark.

Christine neared the edge of the woods, and slowed her pace. Where should she go? She had never been one for being outdoors; she would never make it in the woods if she tried to go through them.

 _"_ _Run!"_ her legs screamed at her. This was her only shot; she had to take it. She slipped behind the trees and started running again, though it was now proving to be more difficult with all the trees in her way.

She didn't get very far when her toe caught the edge of a tree root and sent her sprawling. As she hit the ground, a sharp pain shot through her right leg.

Erik saw this scene play out, and he quickened his pace. Seeing her take a fall like that and hearing her sob as if she had just lost all hope broke his heart. Soon he was by her side, and knelt to her level.

Christine tried to brush the tears from her eyes, but he had already seen him. This was supposed to be her escape. Without being able to navigate these woods, she realized that she would never be able to escape from him.

"Christine, you're hurt. Let me see your leg." He prodded, clearly able to see that her right leg was bleeding profusely.

"I'm fine." She resisted, and as if she were trying to prove a point, she stood up. But the pain in her leg was too much for her to take, and she immediately collapsed.

Erik's arms were right there to catch her. One arm caught her around her waist and one arm around her shoulders. His heartbeat quickened. He was so close to the girl he loved! He could've almost enjoyed the moment, if she weren't hurt the way she was.

Tired of the night's activities, and tired of trying to fight a losing battle, Christine allowed herself to sink into his arms. But her plans of escape were not completely dashed. There would be a new day tomorrow, and the light would make it much easier.

He was somewhat surprised at her decision to trust him. Could this be a small step in the right direction? He didn't have time to think about that right now, he had to get her back to the house.

He kept the one hand around her waist, and moved the other one behind her knees so he could carry her. He couldn't help but notice how small she was compared to him. It took almost no effort to pick her up. But the moment he lifted her off the ground, her whole body tensed up.

"It's okay, Christine. I'm not going to hurt you. That's never been my plan. Just trust me." He tried to reassure her. But he could still see the fear in her eyes, which broke his heart.

Oddly enough, Christine felt a little more at ease after those words were spoken. That darn voice… It could make her feel all sorts of twisted things. This man was dangerous, and she had no reason to trust him. But right now, she knew she couldn't make it back to the house without him, and that seemed much safer than staying in the woods.

She turned her head away, avoiding looking him in the eyes. Something about his piercing gaze made her feel uneasy, like he could see right through her. He didn't seem to notice, and kept his eyes straight ahead as they made their way back to the house.

They made it to the porch, and Erik kicked the front door open. Straight ahead of them was what seemed to be a sitting room, and he gently laid her down on the first couch in front of them.

Christine's mouth fell open as soon as they entered the house. How could such a creepy man have a house so nice? It was huge, and he appeared to be the only one that lived there.

Erik started rolling up her pant leg to get a look at her wound; this brought her back to reality. She hissed, and drew her legs to her chest, denying him access. She didn't want this man touching her!

He did not seem deterred. "Christine, I need to see your leg. You don't want it to get infected. Let me help you."

She didn't respond, and turned her head so she wouldn't have to look him in the eye. He kept his eyes locked on her, and used this opportunity to reach for her leg and draw it out from underneath her arms. She didn't even acknowledge it.

 _"_ _If he wanted to hurt me, I doubt he would care if my leg got better or not. And besides, the faster my leg heals, the faster I get out of here."_ Christine thought to herself. She would let him disinfect her leg, though she didn't like the idea of him being so close to her.

He was being gentle with her leg. He couldn't bear the thought of causing his angel even more pain. He didn't need to look at it long before saying, "The cut isn't too deep, but it is large. Some Neosporin should do the trick."

He swiftly left the room, no doubt in search of some sort of first aid kit. Christine couldn't help but marvel at how graceful his movements were. This strange man was truly unlike any other man she had ever met before.

As soon as he left the room, her eyes flitted to the front door. Now was her chance! She stood up from the couch, gently put weight on her right leg. It could now hold her weight, but doing so caused it to bleed even more. The cut might not have been very deep, but it was long; reaching from her knee to halfway up her thigh.

She walked over to the front door, and tried the door handle. Unsurprisingly, it was locked. But instead of a traditional lock, where it was controlled from the inside of the door, this one just had a keyhole. Her heart sank. If she didn't have the key, she couldn't get out.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming towards her. Erik was coming back! Christine ran back to the couch, so he wouldn't notice that she had tried the door. But it wasn't quite fast enough, and Erik entered the room before she could resume her place on the couch.

"What do you think you're doing?" he questioned, coming up behind her and guiding her back to the couch. His voice had an accusing tone to it, as if he were scolding a disobedient child. The way he phrased it told her that he already knew what she tried to do.

Once she was situated on the couch again, Erik rolled up her pant leg as far as it would go. Christine thanked God that she wasn't wearing skinny jeans. They never would've rolled up that far. Christine shuddered at the mere idea of exposing herself that much in front of Erik.

Erik began wiping up the blood around the cut with a damp cloth. Christine shut her eyes. She had never been very good around this much blood, especially her own. Once that was done, he opened the Neosporin. He glanced at her face before applying it, and noticed that her eyes were closed and her face was scrunched into a grimace.

"This might sting a little bit." He warned her in advance, as to not make her jump. Then he gently applied the disinfectant to her leg. She let out a hiss between her teeth, and he noticed her death grip on the arm of the couch. He did everything in his power to resist taking her hand.

To Christine's relief, the sting subsided quickly. Erik dug some gauze out of his pocket and began wrapping it around her leg; tightly, but not tight enough to cut off circulation. As his hands brushed across her thigh, Christine found herself blushing. Blushing? What was wrong with her? This wasn't some junior high crush; this was her captor. This was a dangerous man, and she wasn't sure as to the reason she trusted him to take care of her leg.

Erik pulled down her pant leg for her, and that was that. He rose to his feet. "There you go, Christine. And now maybe that you've seen me fix your leg, and not attempt to harm you, you can be a little more trusting in the future. I have no intents of hurting you." He was still talking to her as if she were a child.

Christine said nothing in response. Trust him? This man took her from the only home she knew and had no intents of letting her go. Trusting him was a stretch.

A minute of awkward silence passed before Erik spoke again. "If you are feeling well enough, I will show you to your room. A good night's sleep will do you good."

Christine let out a sigh of relief. She was exhausted, and though she was sure her sleep would be restless, it would be much preferable to being around Erik all night. She nodded at him.

"Follow me." He said. She followed him out of the sitting room, through the kitchen, and down a hallway. She noticed that the whole house was kept much darker than she was accustomed to, and she kept bumping into things. She nearly tripped over a rug, but Erik was there to catch her.

Her face reddened. No wonder he talked to her like a child, with the way she kept tripping over everything. He probably thought she was completely incompetent.

"Thank you." She said under her breath, and righted herself.

He smiled, though she couldn't see it in the dark. She was already slightly warming up to him. That was a good sign.

He led her to the end of the hallway, and opened one of the doors at the end for her.

"This is where you'll be staying. There are clean clothes in the closet, and you will find other necessities in the bathroom next door. If you ever need anything, my room is just two doors down." He made a sweeping motion with his arm towards a door they had already passed by.

"Goodnight." Christine said abruptly. The last thing she wanted to be doing right now was talking to this man. Her room probably resembled a dungeon, and she shuddered at the thought of going in there. But she also knew that it would mean escaping from Erik, at least for a night.

He didn't seem in the least bit phased by her curtness. "Goodnight, Christine. I will see you in the morning." He turned on his heel, and walked back down the hallway, disappearing out of sight.

Christine took a deep breath, and entered her room. She fumbled around on the wall to find a light switch, and when she did light flooded the room. A small ounce of relief flooded her system when she noticed that the lighting in here was significantly brighter than the lighting in the rest of the house.

She turned around quickly to shut the door, and noticed that there was no lock. This made her uneasy, but she was far too tired to be concerned with such trivial things.

She slowly made her way to the bed, taking in her new surroundings. This room in no way resembled a dungeon. In fact, it was much bigger than any bedroom she had ever had. It was sparsely decorated, but this didn't surprise her. She didn't take Erik to be the type of person that enjoyed decorating. The bed had to be at least a queen size, and never had a stranger's bed looked so inviting. She would have preferred to stay awake, to keep her guard up for when Erik returned for her, but the bed kept drawing her in. Finally surrendering to her human nature, Christine pulled back the quilt and crawled underneath the covers.

 _"_ _Tomorrow… that's when I'll make my escape…"_ were her last thoughts before she drifted off to sleep.

Little did she know, Erik had returned to her room, and was right outside her door. He had wanted to make sure she was comfortable enough, and he smiled when he didn't hear any more movement coming from the room. He was so tempted to just turn the doorknob and see her face one more time, but he knew he couldn't do that. If she ever found out, this whole thing would take much longer than necessary.

"Goodnight, my angel." He whispered, almost inaudibly, then tiptoed away from her door and to his room. Things were going exactly as he had planned.


	4. Chapter 4

Christine found that she slept surprisingly well that night. She chalked that up to being so exhausted the night before. She didn't wake up once until it was morning; sunlight streaming in through the window near her bed. She felt the warmness on her face, and slowly opened her eyes.

She shot up in bed when she realized how late in the morning it was. How could she be so foolish as to let herself sleep so long? Now planning her escape would be even harder. Erik was sure to come get her at any time, and that darn door didn't have a lock.

She threw the bed covers off and jumped out of bed, being careful to not make too much noise. She tiptoed over to her door and put an ear against it, listening for any signs that Erik was awake.

After a few minutes of total silence, Christine was satisfied. If he did happen to be awake, he was nowhere near her room. She had enough time.

She walked back over to the window, and searched for a way to open it. To her delight, a lever on the left side of the pane proved to do just that. She tugged on it, trying to force the window open. It didn't open easily, but a few tries later and she eventually got it.

Christine silently thanked Erik for putting her room on the first floor. That would be the one thing she would ever thank him for, guaranteed. Now escaping would be much easier, and considerably less dangerous than if she were on the second or third floor.

Christine cautiously put one foot up on the window frame, unsure if it would hold her weight. She may be small, but this certainly didn't seem like the sturdiest window frame ever. To her relief, it held.

She brought her other foot up, struggling just a bit to keep her balance. Unfortunately, Erik hadn't provided her with a chair or stool of any kind. There wasn't a good place to hang on to with her hands, so she would have to move cautiously. The window frame creaked precariously, as if it was going to fall off at any moment.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps right outside her door. Before she had time to react or move, the door swung open, and Erik stormed in.

"What on earth do you think you're doing!" He yelled at Christine, anger in his voice. This was the angriest she had seen him so far, and it frightened her. He was certainly stronger than her, as he had already proved multiple times. There was no telling what he would do.

It didn't take him long to cross the room and reach her. He roughly grabbed her around her waist from behind and pulled her out of the windowsill before she could get down herself.

"Let… me… go!" Christine struggled against his grip of iron, but she knew that she was completely powerless against him. This time was different than the last time he carried her from the woods. Last time his touch was gentle, and he didn't seem to have any intentions of hurting her. This time was completely opposite. He had grabbed her from behind in such a way that Christine knew her ribcage would have bruises.

He was furious and she knew it. His jaw was clenched, and his eyes ablaze. Forcefully, he turned her around and pinned her against the wall by her shoulders, his face a mere two inches away from hers.

"What were you thinking, huh? You thought you could just leave here any time you felt like it?" His words were full of fire, and Christine turned her head to one side and closed her eyes, willing this horrible moment to be over with all her might.

He roughly grabbed her jaw with one hand, forcing her to look at him. His eyes were locked on hers, and one hand still held her against the wall. "You are mine now. Your decisions are no longer your own! I expect you to obey me, is that clear?"

Christine grabbed the wrist of the hand around her jaw with one of her own. His grip loosened enough for her to spit out the words, "It's clear."

He finally released her, causing her to fall onto the floor. She winced, as the bruises on her ribcage became more evident. Erik picked the window pane up off the floor and replaced it in the window with ease. He saw her still in a crumpled heap on the floor, and bent down to her level to speak one more time before leaving. Her eyes never left the floor to meet his gaze, not out of submission, but of fear.

"If you try anything like that again, there will be consequences. I hope I am being understood, because I do not like to repeat myself." He said in a sharp tone. Not waiting for an answer, he picked himself up, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

Emotion overcame Christine as soon as he left. The tears could be held back no longer. She began to cry, louder and louder, until she was sure that Erik would hear her and come back to yell at her again.

Face still wet from the freshly shed tears, Christine picked herself up off the floor, but winced as the pain coming from her ribs seemed to shoot to her whole body. It nearly made her cry out, but she held it in, not wanting to be the cause of Erik's return. She forced herself to walk over to the bed, at least that would bring her some comfort. There was no way she was leaving this room when he was undoubtedly still furious. She painstakingly slowly lowered herself onto the covers, as to not cause any more pain than necessary.

She lay there feeling sorry for herself for a good few minutes, and then her sadness and pity turned into red hot rage. Why her? What had she ever done to deserve this? Sure, she wasn't the best person in the world, but at least she tried. Had she not gone through enough in this past year?

Her mind drifted back to the day before, Raoul specifically. Why had she been so cold to him? He didn't deserve that. She would give anything right now to have him here. Raoul always knew what to do.

At least she could take comfort in the fact that Raoul would probably know she was missing soon. She had no way of contacting him, as her cell phone had died. But, just a little scrap of hope remained, and that was all that Christine needed. Raoul would save her, she was sure of it.


	5. Chapter 5

Erik stormed down the hallway, still seething with anger. How could she do that to him? How could she be so ungrateful? After all he had done for her! The terrified look on her face a few moments ago flashed through his mind, and he felt a small pang of guilt. She had looked so scared of him… he hadn't wanted that to happen, he had just wanted to scare some sense into her. Maybe he had just ruined everything…

Erik continued down the hallway, through the kitchen, and took a left into a room that Christine hadn't seen earlier. The room wasn't very big, yet it was the most important one in the house. This one contained his piano, which seemed to be the only thing that could calm him when his temper ran away from him like it just had.

He pulled out the bench, and sat down at the piano, not yet playing a single note. His eyes were closed, and he took a deep breath in an attempt to calm his anger. He stretched his fingers over the keys, knowing exactly which notes he would play.

He played a few measures of a song he had known by heart for years now, but something seemed off. The music wasn't having the same effect as it usually did on him. Frustrated, he took his hands off the keys, preparing to start the song again. What was wrong with him? He had known this song for many years and it had never ceased to calm him before.

He started the song again, this time trying to put more feeling in the notes. But when it didn't sound any better than the first time around, he pounded his fists on the piano in frustration. This wasn't working.

It was that girl. Christine. She was the reason that he couldn't play today. He knew that he shouldn't have flew off the handle at her, but yet again his temper had gotten the best of him. He thought back to a few minutes ago when he found her trying to escape from the window in her bedroom. Up until then she had presented a brave face, in a way similar to the mask he wore. But her mask fell off when he grabbed her and yelled at her. She had looked afraid, anxious, and alone. So, so alone. And it broke his heart.

He leaned his elbows against the piano keys and rested his head in his hands. If he was going to win her over, he couldn't lose his temper like that again. He had to treat her with the utmost respect. Two years of waiting had finally brought him to this point, and he wasn't about to lose it all in less than a day.

Maybe he should go check on her… It would be nice to be sure that her leg wasn't getting infected from the fall she took, and then maybe he could use this opportunity to smooth things over between them.

He got up from the piano, having made up his mind. In less than a minute he was outside her door, but hesitated to walk in. Maybe it was too soon and she needed a little more time? Maybe this would just make things worse. He took a deep breath, and raised his hand to open the door…


	6. Chapter 6

Christine wasn't alone for long before she heard footsteps outside her door again. He was back already? What could he possibly want with her now? Christine shuddered at the thought, and turned her body so that she was laying on her side, facing away from the door. He didn't need to see the condition she was in, and maybe he'd think she was asleep.

She heard the door slowly open, and Erik entered her room once again, except this time he didn't come in with such force. Christine lay completely still, hoping that he would just leave after seeing that she was "asleep".

"Christine, I know you're awake." He said, quietly. How a man could change in ten minutes! Gone was the man full of rage that entered her room a short while ago, and he was replaced with the man that carried her from the woods. The man she had almost started to trust.

Christine still didn't move. If he knew she was awake, maybe he would at least see that she in no way wanted to have any interaction with him right now.

No such luck.

He crossed the room over to her bed, and gently laid a hand on her side, just a little too close to the ever-getting-bigger bruises on her ribs. Christine let out a hiss, and flinched at his touch.

"Christine, are you hurt?" He inquired, almost sounding accusing.

"Not like you care, you're the one that caused it." She mumbled, still refusing to face him. A pang of guilt stabbed through his heart. He had hurt his precious angel! His heart broke at the thought of him being the cause of all her pain so far, when his intentions were far from that. These incidents couldn't keep happening.

"Christine, I'm going to flip you onto your back. I need to see what's causing you pain." Erik told her, in the same hypnotic voice he had used before, the voice that she was powerless against.

Christine didn't speak, or even move. She wanted to scream, _just leave me alone!_ but her mouth wouldn't form the words. Darn that voice, she was now completely at his mercy.

Erik gently put one hand on her shoulder and one hand on her hip, and rolled her over so that she was laying on her back. Her blank facial expression told him that his voice had calmed her. He hated to be continuously using that trick on her, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Besides, this was for her own good. Letting an injury such as this slip by unnoticed would only make it worse.

Erik took the hem of her shirt in his hand, and froze. The only way he would be able to see her bruises would be to pull up her shirt. Could he really violate her like that? No doubt about it, Christine wouldn't like it. It might even be enough to snap her out of the hypnotic state he put her in. He was trying to stay strictly professional, but having her in front of him, sprawled out on the bed, made it so much harder.

He took a deep breath, and tried his best to still his shaking hands. He slowly pulled her shirt up over her stomach, and stopped when he could see her ribs. His hand brushed against her toned stomach, and he blushed underneath the mask. He was not going to let himself enjoy this, not one little bit.

The bruising on her lower ribcage was now evident. A large black and blue mark stood out on the left side of her ribcage. Erik silently cursed to himself, angry that he was the cause of this. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn't let himself get angry. Not again.

He carefully laid a hand across the bruise, to make sure that there were no broken bones. The pain was enough to snap Christine out of her trance-like state. She yelped in pain, and brought her legs to her chest, denying him any more access.

"Get away from me!" She shrieked, and hurried to pull down her shirt, not wanting to be so vulnerable to him. When he tried to reach for her, she swatted his hand away as if it were a bug, and shrieked again.

"Christine," he started calmly, "you have a fairly large bruise on your ribs. I know it was completely my fault, and I apologize for making this happen to you. I hope someday that you can forgive me. But you're going to have to trust me if you want to get better. I want to help you."

Christine hesitated, not knowing what she should do. Could she really trust a man that could just as easily lash out at her again? After a moment, she voiced her decision. "Fine. I'll trust you."

"Good choice." He replied, feeling more relieved. "Now, I'll need you to lower your legs. I need to feel for any broken bones. It was a bit hard to tell the first time."

He didn't use the voice trick on her this time. That was no way to build trust with her. She had to choose to trust him on her own this time.

She slowly lowered her legs, so that she was laying flat on the bed again. Her eyes darted around the room and she bit her bottom lip, no doubt anticipating pain. Erik wanted so desperately to hold her hand, but he also didn't want to force her in to anything.

"Alright Christine, I'm going to pull up your shirt again, ok?" he said, as if he were speaking to a hurt baby animal. She nodded, never making eye contact. He noticed her right arm tightly clutching a wrinkle in the bed cover.

He slowly lifted her shirt, carefully avoiding the bruised area, which was looking worse by the minute. "I'm going to need you to try your hardest not to move. If it hurts too much just say so, but I really need you to stay still." He told her. She nodded again, in agreement.

Erik laid his palm flat across the bruised area, lightly checking to see if any bones were broken. He could feel Christine tense up, and without even thinking about it, laid his other hand on her shoulder to calm her. This seemed to help matters some.

Christine was surprised by his tenderness. This was really the same man that barged in here 10 minutes ago and caused this bruise? There were obviously two different sides to him, and as long as she was trapped here, she hoped she would see more of this side rather than the other one.

Not wanting to cause her any more pain than necessary, Erik finished his examination quickly. "There doesn't seem to be any broken bones, which is good. However, it is a nasty bruise, so you'll have to take it easy for a while. Which means no more climbing out windows." He gave her a pointed look.

Christine pulled her shirt back down, and she noticed him trying to avert his gaze. And was he… blushing? It was hard to tell, with his mask still in place. What was that all about? Maybe he felt bad about causing this.

He stood up from her bed, and glanced at the watch on his wrist. "I'm afraid you missed breakfast, since you slept in so long. However, I will have lunch ready in a half hour, and I expect to see you at the dining room table. You need to keep up your energy."

And just like that, he was once again gone. Christine was having a hard time figuring this man out. He didn't act like most kidnappers in movies did; he didn't seem to want to cause her any harm. Sure, she scraped up her leg and bruised her ribcage, but he seemed genuine when he tried to help her take care of those. So if he didn't want to hurt her, what was she here for?

She would find out sooner than she thought.


	7. Chapter 7

Christine decided that if there was any time to freshen herself up, now was the time. She felt disgusting, having not showered for a few days now. She had noticed earlier that he had provided her with some essentials to do so, and was relieved at the thought. She picked herself up off the bed, wincing a little at her sore ribs. Darn those bruises, now it would take even longer for her to make her escape.

On her way to the bathroom, she opened the closet, hoping to find some clean clothes to her liking. Giving it a quick once-over, she decided on a pair of jeans and a simple t-shirt. But upon pulling out the shirt, she frowned. This was much lower cut than she was used to wearing. She quickly scanned the rest of the items; they didn't offer much more cover.

She shuddered. No doubt this was on purpose. That sick man really thought everything through. Well, she would have to make the best of it. At least they were clean clothes, which were much more appealing than her tear-stained, dirt-covered ones that she had arrived in.

She made her way to the bathroom, and turned on the shower. She was pleased to see that he also provided her with shampoo and conditioner. He was sure treating her well for being his prisoner.

She slipped out of her clothes, and stepped into the now-steamy shower. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as the water cascaded over her body. It almost felt as if she were at home, and as long as her eyes were closed she could force herself to believe it.

The hot shower did wonders for her, and she stayed in there much longer than she normally would at home. She had never realized how she had taken being clean for granted.

She turned off the water, and squeezed as much water out of her hair as she could with the towel that was sitting on the counter. "What a mess…" she murmured to herself. She couldn't remember the last time her hair was this tangled, even though her long brown curls had always been hard to control.

Suddenly, the bathroom door flew open. Christine shrieked and covered herself with the towel as fast as she could as Erik burst in.

"What in the world do you think you're doing!" She yelled at him, praying that she had covered herself before he had seen anything. This man really was sick! Barging in on her like that when he probably knew she would be naked! Oh, how she wished these doors had locks!

Erik's assertive demeaner had not changed at all. "I told you that I would have lunch prepared at this time. When you didn't come down yourself, I came up to get you."

Christine didn't like the way he was looking at her. His piercing eyes seemed to stare right into her soul, and right through the thin towel that was protecting her modesty. Did this man have no shame? He didn't seem embarrassed at all that he had walked in on her like this.

Christine forced herself to make eye contact with him, hoping to make him feel at least slightly uncomfortable. "I just have to get dressed, and then I would _love_ to eat lunch with you." Her voice dripped with fake sincerity. She was feeling much more bold than last night, and she planned to take advantage of this.

He nodded, but made no move to leave the room. Christine rolled her eyes.

"You can leave now, Erik. There's no way I'm getting changed in front of you." She sharply told him.

He slightly nodded his head. "I will wait for you on the other side of this door. Two minutes. If you take any longer, I will be forced to carry you to the kitchen in that towel. I do not like waiting." He slipped back out of the bathroom, and shut the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Christine hurriedly threw off the towel and began getting dressed. To her surprise, the clothing fit perfectly, besides the shirt being too low cut for her liking.

She opened the door before two minutes was up, and found Erik sitting on her bed. "Fast enough for you?" she asked sarcastically, shooting him a withering glare. He stood up, not noticing her annoyance at him.

"Faster would have been better. At this rate, the food will be cold." He retorted. He held his hand out to her, expecting her to take it. Instead, Christine brushed past him towards the door.

They walked to the kitchen in silence. Christine knew when they were close by the amazing aroma that hit her nose.

They entered the kitchen, and Christine tried to not let her jaw drop open in surprise. It was evident that Erik knew how to cook. The table had an assortment of food laid out, and it all looked amazing to her. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until that moment.

Erik heard the small gasp escape her lips and smirked. No doubt she hadn't been expecting anything nice.

He stepped around Christine, and pulled out a chair for her, ushering her to sit down. She did so gladly, and almost immediately began dishing up food on her plate. Erik sat across from her, and was much more controlled in his motions, taking only small portions of food. Meanwhile, Christine took heaping portions of nearly everything. Her plate filled up quickly, and she began eating.

Erik ate his food like he was dining in the presence of the Queen of England. His table manners were impeccable. Meanwhile, across the table, Christine was behaving exactly the opposite. She pushed the silverware provided aside, and used her fingers to eat everything; from the potatoes, to the chicken, to the pasta salad. Her elbows were proudly propped up on the table, and she made sure to chew especially loudly.

Exasperated with these games of hers, Erik set down his fork with a huff. "Were you raised by animals? That's no way to eat your food."

Christine responded by wiping her messy chin with her wrist, and then licking every finger clean. Erik rolled his eyes. "I've come across toddlers with better manners than you."

Christine didn't say anything back, pleased that she had annoyed him. It wasn't long before Erik also finished eating, and he began to clear the dishes. At this time, Christine let out a loud burp, and took pleasure in the disgusted look he gave her.

He was almost done putting away the leftover food, when Christine asked the question that had been on her mind since last night. "Why do you even wear that mask if it only covers half your face? What's the point?"

He froze, dishes in hand. The tension in the air was so thick, that a person could have come and cut it with a knife.

"Hello? I asked you a question." Christine's voice cut the tension, and this seemed to break him from his trance-like state.

"It is none of your business." He said firmly, obviously not planning on explaining the mask any more. With his back to her, he didn't see Christine coming up behind him.

Suddenly, he felt her fingers brush his face, aiming to take off his mask so she could see for herself. This brought Erik to life. He snatched her wrist and whipped around quickly.

"What do you think you're doing!" He said, angrily. The fire in his eyes and returned, and so had his temper. Christine tried to pull her wrist away from him, but he was just too strong.

He used his hand on her wrist to pull her in closer, and was just inches away from her face when he said, "Never try anything like that ever again. You will regret it." Then he released her.

Christine quickly backed away from him, trying to calm her racing heart. There was passion in his anger that made it all the more terrifying. What could possibly be behind the mask that got this much of a rise out of him? She wasn't sure that she wanted to know any more.


	8. Chapter 8

Erik kept his back to her, so that she couldn't see how much he was seething. He couldn't afford to hurt her again. How could she do that to him? She hadn't shown any interest in his mask up until that point, and then she thinks she can just take it off without even asking him?

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, hoping to calm himself. No doubt Christine feared him, no matter how tough she was trying to act, and he didn't want things to be that way. He hadn't gone through all this trouble of kidnapping her just for her to be scared of him.

Having got his temper under control, he turned around to face Christine. She was standing across the kitchen from him, leaning against the table and nervously biting a fingernail. As soon as she saw him turn, she dropped the hand to her side.

"Is there anything in particular you'd like to do today?" he asked, unsure of what else to say.

"Well now that you're asking, I'd like to go home." She retorted. "I'm sick of being treated like a caged bird."

"I know that's what you want Christine, but I can't do that. Can't you see how I'm helping you? You have nothing to go back home to. Both your parents are dead; you have no one left who cares about you. So you might as well get used to your new life here, because I promise you, you will be much better off than if I were to leave you back there." He felt a twinge of guilt saying these words, but he was getting sick of her fighting him.

Tears stung Christine's eyes, and she dropped her chin so that he wouldn't see her cry. Her parents' deaths were still a tough subject for her. She knew that her life back home was nothing special, but she was ok with that. And she wasn't completely alone, she had friends. Like Raoul. Oh Raoul, no doubt he was worried sick about her.

She could see Erik's expression soften just a hair. "Oh Christine, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up your parents…" He trailed off, unsure of how he could right this situation. He walked over to stand in front of her, and offered her a tissue that he pulled from his suitcoat's breast pocket. She accepted it gladly, and blew her nose loudly.

"Your father was a violinist, correct?" He inquired.

She sniffled one more time and then looked up at him. "Yeah, he was really good too. I always enjoyed singing with him, but I really haven't seen the point lately."

Erik had been waiting for her to bring up the subject of singing. Little did she know, that was a main reason for him bringing her here.

He grinned. "Would you like to sing again? I pride myself on being an excellent composer, and I have some new songs that would be perfect for you." This was perfect! He would finally get to hear her sing. He had discovered her natural talent a few years ago, when he attended a musical her high school had put on. Christine had had the lead role, and he had never heard a voice so pure, so angelic. That was when he knew that she must one day sing his music. His music had always seemed empty… but now it would have a new life.

She sighed. "Maybe some other time. I don't feel like it today."

He felt something deflate inside him. Not want to sing for him? He had never even considered that she would say that. He was so confident that she would have been ready to start singing again by now.

"A voice that goes without practicing for too long can become rusty. Come on, Christine. It doesn't have to be long." He asked her desperately. She didn't know how long he had waited for this. She couldn't deny him this now, not when he was this close to hearing her sing again!

He could tell she wanted to sing, but was hesitant. "Just one song Christine. That's all I ask of you."

She paused, then opened her mouth to speak. Maybe starting to sing again would be good for her. "One song. I will do that."

Erik smiled widely. It was the first time Christine had seen a genuine smile come from him since she had been kidnapped. She much preferred that to his normal temperament.

"I keep my piano upstairs, we shall practice there." He held out his hand for her to take, and to his surprise, she did without much hesitation. He grinned again. Singing would surely bring them closer together. She was already more trusting of him.

She followed Erik up the winding staircase, and into the second room to the left. The room wasn't very big; it only contained a grand piano. Handwritten sheet music was scattered all over the room. Erik released her hand, and sat down at the piano bench, looking very eager. His angel was going to sing his music! He shuffled through a few sheets of music on the piano stand, before selecting one and handing it to her.

"Wishing you were somehow here again." Christine murmured, reading the title aloud. How appropriate.

"I only composed this piece a few nights ago; it hasn't been sung out loud yet." Erik told her, spinning on the bench so he was facing her. He frowned when he looked at her. Her posture could definitely use some work.

"Christine, that is no way to carry yourself. You will get winded much faster if you're slouched like that." He scolded her, as if he was a teacher and she was his student. He rose from the piano bench and walked behind her, so that his front was nearly touching her back.

"Straighten your back, relax, slightly bend your knees, lift your chest, and carry your head high." He was behind her, helping her make all these adjustments. His hands first went to her waist, to help her straighten her back. He then gently pushed out her knees to create a slight bend. Then he circled around to the front of her, and put a hand gently under her chin, causing her to look up, and pushed her shoulders back so that her chest was high.

"Now remember, when you sing, breathe from here." He was behind her again, and laid one palm flat across her stomach, careful to avoid the bruised area. Christine drew in a sharp breath, and her cheeks flushed red. This was getting very up close and personal, and she was never good in situations like these.

"Take a few deep breaths in and out, so that I know you are breathing correctly." Was his next command. She obeyed, and breathed slowly in, then let it all out, feeling his palm rise and fall with her stomach. His touch was surprisingly warm for such a cold person.

"Very good. You remember a few things." He took his hand off her stomach, and she felt like she could breathe normally again.

He returned to sit at his piano bench again, and played the first chord. "Whenever you're ready Christine."

She cleared her throat. Might as well get this over with. She began to sing:

 _You were once my one companion  
You were all that mattered  
You were once a friend and father  
Then my world was shattered_

 _Wishing you were somehow here again  
Wishing you were somehow near  
Sometimes it seemed  
If I just dreamed  
Somehow you would be here_

Christine could tell her voice was rusty, and cringed when her voice hit a sour note. Erik glanced at her, and stopped playing suddenly. Christine's singing came to an abrupt halt, and she blushed, embarrassed that he was sitting here, listening to her croak like a frog. She should have never let herself get so out of practice.

He got up from the bench once again. "That was very good Christine. Honestly. Your voice has a very pure tone to it. But when you hit a sour note and cringe like you just did, it makes it much worse. As soon as you did that, you lost your good posture. I can guarantee that everyone would notice that, not just someone as accomplished as me." He walked over to her again.

"Let's fix this posture again. Try to hold it this time. You'll be able to breathe much easier." He lifted her chin, then pushed back her shoulders to make her stand tall again. He then walked around to the back of her again, this time taking her hand in his own. He brought her arm around so that her palm was flat on her stomach this time, with his resting on top.

"Now practice breathing. This is a very important technique to master; the better you become at breathing, the stronger your voice will be." Erik explained to her. Christine hadn't realized what a good teacher he would be. It almost felt like voice lessons she used to take in high school, except for that teacher didn't get nearly as personal.

"Breathe in, and breathe out. Just like that, good." He encouraged her as she made a conscious effort to breathe the way he was teaching her. Both of their hands rose and fell on her stomach with every breath she took.

"Notice how your stomach expands with every breath you take. You want to do that every time. This will allow more air to get to your lungs." His breathing was now in synch with hers, and Christine realized that she didn't have an urge to run away from him this time.

They stood there breathing together for what seemed like hours, but in reality, was about a minute. Erik removed his hand from hers, and went to take his place back at the piano bench. He couldn't help but notice the furious blush that was creeping up Christine's face and neck, and tried to hide his smile. Shyness was a very attractive quality to him.

"Ready to try this again?" He smiled in her direction. Christine was amazed at the happiness that music brought him. He seemed to be a completely different person when seated at this piano. She nodded her head, and he played the first chord again. Christine checked her posture and breathing, then opened her mouth to sing once again:

 _You were once my one companion  
You were all that mattered  
You were once a friend and father  
Then my world was shattered_

 _Wishing you were somehow here again  
Wishing you were somehow near  
Sometimes it seemed  
If I just dreamed  
Somehow you would be here_

 _Wishing I could hear your voice again  
Knowing that I never would  
Dreaming of you won't help me to do  
All that you dreamed I could_

 _Passing bells and sculpted angels  
Cold and monumental  
Seem for you the wrong companions  
You were warm and gentle_

 _Too many years fighting back tears  
Why can't the past just die?_

 _Wishing you were somehow here again  
Knowing we must say goodbye  
Try to forgive, teach me to live  
Give me the strength to try_

 _No more memories, no more silent tears  
No more gazing across the wasted years  
Help me say goodbye  
Help me say goodbye _

By the end of the song, Christine was in tears. The memories of her parents were still all too fresh, and this song had managed to capture every emotion she was feeling for them. And yet, it felt as if an enormous weight had been lifted from her shoulders; this song had taught her how to say goodbye.

Her vision got blurry as her eyes filled with tears, and her knees felt weak. However, through the blurriness, she saw Erik rise from the piano bench, a concerned look in his eyes. For a moment he seemed unsure how to handle the blubbering, crying girl in front of him. But a few seconds later, his arms were around her in a hug. Christine gladly accepted this, and threw her arms around his neck, letting herself crying into his coat collar. Erik's arms wrapped around her waist, and he comfortingly stroked her lower back, letting her release all her tears.

Even at her parent's funeral, Christine hadn't cried this much. She supposed that she didn't know how to say goodbye at that point, their deaths hadn't seemed real. There was too much left unsaid, too much left undone. But now, Erik had helped her say goodbye to her parents in a meaningful way, and she actually felt gratitude towards him.

"Thank you." Christine said, her words muffled by his coat. Erik smiled, and brought his hand up to stroke the back of her head. He had known that this particular song would have special meaning to Christine, and it meant a lot to him to finally see her be able to say goodbye to her parents.

Christine suddenly pulled away from him, and he quickly removed his hands from her. She hurriedly wiped her eyes, and sniffled once. "I-I'm sorry… I don't know what came over me…"

He cupped her jaw with one hand, and looked her in the eye. "Don't ever be sorry for showing emotion. That is exactly how a good singer becomes a great. When songs have meaning to you, it will make it even more meaningful for those listening."

Christine gave him a watery smile. She could get used to this kinder, gentler Erik.

"I think that's enough singing for today. If you want your voice to get better, you will have to work at it. I can help you do that, if that's what you want." He tried so hard to seem nonchalant in this phrase, but he wanted more than nothing else for her to agree.

She nodded her head in agreement.

His heart lept inside his chest. She had agreed! "We will have voice lessons every day from here on out. This is only the beginning, Christine. Soon we will see what you are truly capable of."


	9. Chapter 9

A week passed, but it hardly seemed that long to Christine. Her days were consumed with voice lessons from Erik. He was a harder instructor than any she had ever known, but she could tell that it was doing wonders for her voice. Gone was the once-rusty, timid singer, and a new, bold singer replaced her. She could almost forget that he was the one who kidnapped her.

Almost. But not quite.

"Enunciate, Christine, enunciate. You need to say the words clearly if anyone is to be able to understand you." Erik scolded her, during yet another voice lesson. Christine's passion for singing may be back, but that didn't mean she didn't get tired every now and then. They had been working on this new piece all morning, and she knew she was getting sloppy, but she couldn't help it. She was just too tired, and her ribs were beginning to ache.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm getting tired, and my ribs are starting to hurt." She set the piece titled _Think of Me_ on the piano stand and lowered herself to a sitting position on the ground, grimacing a little at the pain in her ribs.

Erik sighed. He didn't like taking breaks, but he knew that she wouldn't put in the necessary effort if she was in pain, or too worn out.

"You should really let me have a look at your ribs again. It's been about a week now, and I'd like to see how they're healing." He stood up, towering over her small figure on the floor.

"I suppose…" Her voice trailed off. He felt a pang of guilt as he realized just how exhausted she was, and it wasn't even noon yet.

"You don't even have to get up. I can check them right here. Just lay back on the floor for me." He wanted to minimize her pain as much as possible.

Christine laid back on the floor, with Erik's hand helping her back. He gently pulled her shirt up over her stomach, and she no longer blushed at this. She was getting to be more comfortable around Erik with every day.

"I will try not to cause you any pain, and I apologize in advance if I do. Is this ok?" His hand was hovering about an inch over the bruise, not quite touching her. She nodded at him.

He gently prodded the part of the bruise lowest on her ribcage, eliciting a grimace from her. "It seems that the swelling has gone down considerably. That's good. A few more weeks, and you'll be as good as new."

Christine smiled. "Well, it's about time." They were interrupted by a loud gurgling coming from Christine's stomach. She quickly dug her arms into her midsection, trying her best to quiet it, but there was no doubt that Erik had heard it. He laughed.

"I can take a hint. I suppose lunch is in order." He took both her hands in his, and helped her to her feet.

"That would be wonderful." She said politely, but in her head, she was thinking, _finally!_ Her stomach rumbled again in agreement. This made Erik laugh.

They made their way to the kitchen, and Erik began pulling various foods out of the cupboard. Christine sat herself down at the table, and caught herself staring wistfully out the window. She hadn't been outside in over a week, and she was beginning to feel cooped up.

Erik caught her staring. "Is there something interesting outside, Christine?" This caused her to snap to attention.

"What? Oh, I… No. I was just looking." She stammered.

Erik raised an eyebrow in her direction, obviously knowing there was something else to it.

Christine sighed. "Well, the truth is, I'm starting to feel rather cooped up in here. Don't get me wrong, I love the voice lessons. But I haven't been outside in over a week. Could I go out there today?"

Erik's face hardened. He knew that was a very bad idea. He couldn't control her outside; she could get away from him. She hadn't attempted to run away since she tried to climb out of the window on the first night, but he knew that she had a strong spirit. She wouldn't just give up that easily.

"We shall see. Perhaps if you make significant progress on _Think of Me._ " Erik stiffly turned back around, his back to her. Why did he say that? Why didn't he just tell her no? He was the one in charge here, not her. But he knew very well that it never took much asking from Christine for her to always get her way. He honestly wanted nothing more than to keep her happy.

Christine smiled. She had figured that he would cave. As a kidnapper, he was always far too concerned with her well-being for his own good.

Erik prepared their lunch quickly, and brought dishes of food to the table. Christine's stomach growled again loudly when he set the food down, and she was quick to move the food from the serving dish to her plate.

"After you finish eating, we can continue working on the new piece." Erik said, cutting a piece of meat with his knife. He was so eager to continue working with her, that he really didn't even want to stop for lunch. But he knew that he couldn't wear Christine out; that would be very bad.

"So soon, Erik? I haven't had a break all morning. It seems like all I do is sing for you. Can't we do something else?" She pleaded, and gave him her best puppy-eyes. She knew he would never be able to resist.

Erik tried to avoid eye contact with her; he knew exactly what she was doing, and he knew that he would cave far too easily.

"I just want to go outside for a little while. You know that I can't exactly run away, not through those woods. I'd never be able to find my way through them, and I'm not stupid enough to try that again. Please, Erik?" She rose from her chair and had made her way over to his side of the table, and put her hand on his arm. He seemed to tense at her touch, but then relaxed almost immediately.

He rolled his eyes. He knew that sooner or later she would get her way; she wouldn't quit pestering until then either. "Fine, Christine, fine! I will take you outside. I seem to recall a pleasant walking path near the house."

Christine squealed with glee, and wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug. Wait, she had hugged him? It had been so long since Erik had received a hug, that he almost forgot what it had felt like. Her arms were warm on his cool skin, and he relished her touch. She pulled away far too soon for his liking.

"Let me fetch my hat, then we shall go." He stood up from the table and started walking towards the front door, Christine hot on his heels. He didn't know why she was so excited about going outdoors; he had never seen the point. It was usually windy, the sun was too bright, and there were far too many bugs for his liking.

They approached the front door, and Erik dug the master key out of his pocket. He then unlocked the door for the first time since he had brought Christine here. He was nearly pushed over by her, in her rush to get outdoors. Before she got too far ahead of him, Erik caught her arm and pulled her back.

"Remember, no funny business. I can assure you, if you try anything, this will be the last you will see of the outdoors for a while." He reminded her, hoping that he was getting his point across. Christine didn't seem to take his warning seriously, and she pulled her arm away from him, then broke into a run down the driveway.

Erik did not pick up his pace to keep up with her; he was not concerned while she was still in his eyesight. This was the most joyful he had seen her in a long time, and it brought a smile to his face. She had been right, this would be good for the both of them.

Christine slowed her running to a stop at the end of the driveway, and turned around towards Erik, beaming. He had never seen her look so beautiful. She was positively radiant. Oh, how he longed to have her arms around him once again. He hadn't known how much he craved human touch until she had hugged him.

Christine started to spin in a circle, arms outstretched at her sides. She looked as if she were having the time of her life, as if she were a little kid again. Then suddenly, she fell into the grass beside the driveway. Erik gasped, and ran towards her. He would never forgive himself if she was hurt again.

He reached her side in just a few seconds, and he heard… laughing? Christine was laughing? Nonetheless, he was still going to make sure she was okay.

"Christine, are you alright? Are you hurt?" He bent down to where she was, a concerned look filling his eyes, and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"No, you silly! I'm just fine! I just got dizzy and fell." Christine giggled at his overprotectiveness. He was worse than any helicopter parent she had ever seen.

Erik sat back on his heels, relieved that she was okay. He was probably being too concerned, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want anything to happen to his angel.

Christine lifted her arms towards him, still laying on her back in the grass. "Help me up?"

Erik was happy to oblige. He stood to his feet, then grabbed her hands, and in one swift movement had her on her feet once again. She took one step forward, but was still so dizzy that she immediately fell into Erik, pushing him to the ground with her landing on top of him.

Erik yelped, and they hit the ground with a thud. Christine had landed on his chest, and was still giggling. She brushed the hair out of her eyes, and he suddenly became aware of the close proximity of their faces. Just two more inches and they would be… no, he couldn't allow himself to think such thoughts.

"Oops! Sorry Erik! I guess I was a little dizzier than I thought." She giggled again as she voiced her apology.

"Quite alright Christine." He answered, trying not to blush. He wasn't used to being this close to her. She quickly rolled off of him and got to her feet, and he stood up as well. "I think it is time for us to go back inside. I've had quite enough of the outdoors today."

She made a pouting face. "Erik, that was only a few minutes! That's not long enough!"

"Well, as I said before, I do not enjoy being outside. I am in charge here, and I say we are going inside." He firmly stated his position. She may have been able to persuade him to bring her outside, but she couldn't force him to stay out here for any longer. The sun was much too bright for his liking.

Christine looked longingly out towards the woods. If she could just run… But there was no doubt that Erik would catch her, and that would anger him for sure. It was probably best just to comply.

"Fine… But you owe me." She answered him after a moment.

Erik grinned. Finally, she didn't fight him on something. He knew that she had a strong spirit, so this was a big accomplishment for him. He held out his hand for her to take, and she did without any hesitation. His precious angel…

"Now that you've had your break, we can return to _Think of Me_. You're so close to getting it perfect Christine."

She smiled. She knew she was getting better, but praise from such an accomplished musician still meant a lot.

They went back in the house, Erik locking the door once again, and slipping the key in his coat pocket. Then they returned to the music room, to resume Christine's lessons once again. Erik smiled. Tomorrow he would have a new piece for her, something very unlike anything she had tried up until this point.

And he couldn't wait.


	10. Chapter 10

Christine went to bed exhausted. Erik had made her work on _Think of Me_ until late that evening, and it had completely worn her out. She had never had any sort of teacher that was so demanding and difficult as him, and yet she still looked forward to their lessons. It seemed as if she had harnessed her voice in a way that she never had before, and she loved it.

However, she didn't love when Erik woke her up that morning, much too early for her liking.

She didn't hear Erik enter her room silently that morning. She had gone to bed so tired that she was sure she could sleep through a tornado. Then suddenly she felt a hand grab her shoulder and start shaking her awake.

"Christine… Christine, it's time to wake up. I have breakfast prepared, and I am anxious for you to try out this new piece." Erik's voice was the first thing she heard, and she slowly started to come to.

She groaned. "Erik, I'm still exhausted. Just give me a few more hours." She sleepily rolled over, pulling the covers up over her face.

Annoyed at her apathy, Erik yanked the covers back, exposing her body to the cold morning air. Christine yelped, and brought her legs to her chest, seeking some warmth.

"You don't want breakfast to be cold, so be at the table in a few minutes. I will leave so you can get dressed." He told her, then made his exit.

Christine sat up sleepily in bed. Who did he think he was, barging in here and waking her up when the sun was barely up itself? She rolled herself out of bed, and rubbed her tired eyes. The few hours she got would have to be enough. Maybe she could take a nap later.

She stumbled over to the closet to pick out an outfit. Something comfy was in order, so she decided on a pair of leggings and a sweater, an outfit very similar to one she might wear at home.

She made her way to the kitchen table in less than five minutes, and took the seat across from Erik, eyes still getting used to the morning light.

As she dished up her food, she voiced the question on her mind. "Why did you wake me up this early just to rehearse? I'm still exhausted from last night. You yourself always say it isn't good to strain your voice too much."

Erik's eyes almost seemed to sparkle. He seemed excited about something. "This is a brand-new piece that I just finished this morning. I stayed up the rest of the night after you went to bed. It is part of a bigger opera, but the rest isn't completed yet."

Christine looked at him, in shock. "You mean that you haven't gone to bed yet? Aren't you exhausted?"

"I don't tend to need as much sleep as other people. Many nights are spent composing for me, so I'm used to it." Was his reply.

Christine muttered a 'hmm' under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear. The rest of their breakfast was finished in silence.

"We can leave the dishes until later. I want to get started on the new piece right away." Erik rose from his seat at the table, and beckoned for Christine to do the same. She followed him to the music room, struggling a little to keep her eyes open. She would definitely have to take a nap later.

Erik grabbed some sheet music from the piano and handed it to her. "This is the new piece you will learn. It is titled, _Point of No Return_."

Christine quickly scanned the page, and her cheeks turned a bright crimson color. This piece was so much different than anything she had done so far! The lyrics were so… sensual. She wasn't sure she'd be able to do it. She'd never had a boyfriend in her life so far; she didn't know how to act like this! The closest thing she'd ever had to a boyfriend was Raoul, but that didn't help her in this case.

She could feel Erik's piercing gaze on her, watching her take in the music. "I don't know if I'll be able to sing this Erik… I've never done anything like this before, so I can't imagine I'll be any good…" She stammered, cheeks still red.

"We can start off slow. The piece is written as a duet, but we can work on your part alone first before adding in my part." Erik told her. However, this only succeeded in making her more anxious. She was to sing this piece with Erik as a duet?

He could sense her hesitation. "Christine, the only way you will ever grow as a musician is to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. Nobody has ever gotten great by staying comfortable."

She nodded her head slowly. As much as she didn't want to admit it, she knew he was right. "Where would you like me to start?"

He walked over to her and pointed about halfway down the page. His face was very near hers, and his hot breath tickled her ear, causing her to jump. He returned to the piano bench and sat down, fingers poised to start playing.

"Posture, Christine." He reprimanded her. She could never seem to remember to stand up straight, but she fixed that in a hurry. "Much better. I'll play two bars introduction, then you will come in. Will two bars be sufficient?"

"Two bars will be quite sufficient." She remarked, almost mockingly. She almost immediately bit her tongue; she hadn't meant to sass him, she was just feeling a little cranky from her lack of sleep. Luckily for her, he didn't seem to notice.

Erik played the short introduction, and Christine could tell that this song wasn't like the others she had sung before. The others were bright, this song seemed darker. She opened her mouth and started singing:

 _You have brought me  
to that moment  
where words run dry,  
to that moment  
where speech  
disappears  
into silence,  
silence . . ._

 _I have come here,  
hardly knowing  
the reason why . . ._

Christine suddenly stopped singing, and blushed furiously. Erik looked up from his music, confused at the unplanned pause. "Is something the matter, Christine?"

"How do you expect me to sing this?" She asked him, pointing at the next line in the music.

"I expect you to sing it boldly. If you are timid, you will look ridiculous. It isn't that complicated of a piece, Christine." He retorted, a flicker of annoyance in his eyes. Maybe he overestimated her maturity. He would have to get her past this, or this piece would take much too long to learn.

"Easy for you to say…" She muttered under her breath.

He didn't answer her for a moment, trying to think of some way to help her. Then he had an idea. "You just have to think of it as playing another character, like in a movie. When you sing this piece, I don't want you to be Christine Daaè anymore; I want you to be Amita. Amita is bold, sure of herself, and sexy. Do you think you can do that?"

"I can try…" Was her unsure reply. Christine had never had to act sexy before, how could Erik just expect her to be able to pull that out of nowhere?

"Excellent. Start at the beginning of that stanza once more." He played the first chord for her, and motioned for her to start singing again.

 _I have come here,  
hardly knowing  
the reason why . . .  
In my mind,  
I've already  
imagined our  
bodies entwining  
defenseless and silent -  
and now I am  
here with you:  
no second thoughts,_

 _I've decided,  
decided . . ._

Christine did her best to sing confidently, but she knew that it was nowhere near where Erik wanted it to be. She didn't feel bold and sexy, she felt ridiculous and timid. No doubt Erik would be displeased, and she didn't like to displease him.

Erik stopped playing, and turned to face her. He seemed to be studying her face, and this caused Christine to squirm a little. He just had to get her to act the part, and not just sing it without feeling something.

"I think it might be of some benefit to you to see another person sing it. I will sing a section of my part, and then you can see how I expect you to perform this song." Erik said, after a long pause.

"Yeah, let's do that." Christine answered, relieved that she would have a break. And it would be interesting to hear Erik singing instead of her, for once.

Erik got up from the piano bench and stood in the middle of the room, then motioned for Christine to come stand next to him. "I'll sing acapella, since it would be rather hard to play the piano and sing my part at the same time. Just go along with what I do, and you will try it later."

Erik took two steps away from her, still facing her, and something in his expression changed. His eyes darkened, and he didn't break eye contact with her. He was… sexy. Christine found it hard to believe that she even let that thought come into her head, but she couldn't control her thoughts. Only in these past couple days had those thoughts begun to creep in; Erik may think himself a monster, but Christine certainly didn't. Then Erik opened his mouth to begin his part, and Christine couldn't believe that he had kept such an amazing voice silent for so long.

 _You have come here  
in pursuit of  
your deepest urge,  
in pursuit of  
that wish,  
which till now  
has been silent,  
silent . . ._

Erik began taking slow, controlled steps towards Christine, eyes locked on her the entire time. When he sang the word, 'silent', he brought a finger to his lips, then let it drop.

 __ _I have brought you,  
that our passions  
may fuse and merge -  
in your mind  
you've already  
succumbed to me  
dropped all defenses  
completely succumbed to me -  
now you are here with me:  
no second thoughts,  
you've decided,  
decided . . ._

Erik undid the cape he was wearing, and tossed it to the side with ease. By the end of the stanza he was standing directly in front of her, a mere two inches away from her face. Christine began blushing furiously. ' _Get ahold of yourself_.' She thought. ' _This isn't some high school crush, this is Erik._ '

 __ _Past the point  
of no return -  
no backward glances:  
our games of make-believe are at an end . . .  
Past all thought  
of "if" or "when" -  
no use resisting:  
abandon thought,  
and let the dream  
descend . . ._

Erik walked a slow circle around her, never breaking eye contact. Christine could feel her heart skip a couple beats inside her chest. She wondered if he could feel the attraction between them, or if she was just imagining it.

 __ _What raging fire  
shall flood the soul?  
What rich desire  
unlocks its door?  
What sweet seduction  
lies before  
us . . .?_

Suddenly, Erik grabbed her from behind; one hand was laid gently across her throat and the other was wrapped around her waist. Slowly, he trailed the hand around her throat down across her collarbone, eventually reaching her shoulder. The other arm was still wrapped tightly around her waist, and Christine was sure that that was the only reason she was still in an upright position. She was certain that he could feel her heart beating out of her chest. If only he knew what he was doing to her…

 __ _Past the point  
of no return,  
the final threshold -  
what warm,  
unspoken secrets  
will we learn?  
Beyond the point  
of no return . . ._

Erik trailed his fingers lightly all the way down her arm, held her fingertips for a few seconds, and then released her. Then he stopped singing, having reached the end of his part.

Christine was sure her cheeks were still incredibly red. How was he so good at that? She never expected to have any sort of feelings for Erik, yet here she was. ' _He's still your captor, Christine. And this is all purely an act._ ' She thought to herself, though it did no good.

"Do you think you get the idea now?" Erik asked her, resuming his role as the teacher. She couldn't hide her flushed face from him, and this made Erik grin inwardly. He knew exactly what he was doing to her, and he was going to enjoy every moment.

Christine cleared her throat, and stood up straight, with a newfound confidence. Erik wanted sexy? She would give him sexy.

She did her best to copy the persona that Erik had captured in his part of the duet. She locked eyes with him, and opened her mouth to begin her part. Now she would get to torture him as he had just done to her.

 _You have brought me  
to that moment  
where words run dry,  
to that moment  
where speech  
disappears  
into silence,  
silence . . ._

Christine closed her eyes, and sat herself down on the piano bench, trying to look as seductive as possible. Her hands instinctively rose to her collarbone, and she caressed it lightly.

Erik was trying not to let his jaw hit the floor. Gone was the timid girl that had sung this song with almost no expression, and in her place, was a confident, sexy woman. She had finally come out of her shell! He could hardly believe he was lucky enough to be standing here witnessing it. How amazing she looked, performing his song for him. Oh, how he wanted to join her with his part!

 __ _I have come here,  
hardly knowing  
the reason why . . .  
In my mind,  
I've already  
imagined our  
bodies entwining  
defenseless and silent -  
and now I am  
here with you:  
no second thoughts,_

Christine brought her hands together, intertwining her fingers, and got a glimpse of Erik's face. He was watching her intently, looking very pleased. She then stood up from the bench and slowly started walking towards him.

 __ _I've decided,  
decided . . ._

Eyes locked once again, Christine and Erik could now both tell that what was happening was much, much more than singing a song. They could both feel the passion that was buried deep inside them start to rise, in danger of spilling out.

Christine continued her part of the duet.

 _Past the point  
of no return -  
no going back now:  
our passion-play  
has now, at last,  
begun . . .  
Past all thought  
of right or wrong -  
one final question:  
how long should we  
two wait, before  
we're one . . .?_

Christine spun around in front of Erik, so that her backside was pressed up against his front side. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, and she brought one hand up to his neck, caressing him there.

 _When will the blood  
begin to race  
the sleeping bud  
burst into bloom?  
When will the flames,  
at last, consume  
us . . .?_

The last lyrics of her solo part of the duet did him in. He knew he wouldn't be able to hold himself back much longer. Having her pressed up against him like this was something he had been waiting for since the day he took her.

 _Past the point  
of no return  
the final threshold -  
the bridge  
is crossed, so stand  
and watch it burn . . .  
We've passed the point  
of no return . . ._

The last stanza was sung by both in perfect unison. Erik gracefully spun Christine back around to face him, and the space between them seemed much too large. The look in Christine's eyes told him that they were thinking the same thing.

Singing the last few words of the piece together, Erik pulled Christine in closer, his hand subconsciously floating up to cup her face. Christine found herself winding her arms around his neck, and Erik's other hand was on her waist. Then, the last word of the song left their lips, and the space between them closed. Erik's lips were on Christine's.

Erik was so happy he thought his heart would explode right out of his chest. His angel was kissing him! The feeling of her lips on his was something he never thought he would experience, and he almost had to pinch himself to convince himself that it was real. He wrapped his arm around her waist more tightly, never wanting to let go of someone so precious.

Christine grinned against his lips. Erik had felt the attraction too; it wasn't just one sided. She had often wondered what kissing him would feel like, and here she was, doing it. If only his bulky mask wasn't in the way…

Christine tried to deepen the kiss, and then the guilt came crashing in. He was letting an angel kiss a monster!

Erik pulled away from her lips and untangled their arms much sooner than Christine would've liked, and stepped away from her. She didn't realize it until now, but she felt something for this man. And now she knew that the feeling was mutual. So why did he pull away?

He sunk to his knees, head in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Christine… I didn't mean to force myself on you like that. I got too into my character; I apologize." He said curtly, then stood up and straightened his mask, and not willing to look at her directly.

Christine put a hand on his arm, and was surprised when he flinched. "Erik, no…"

He held up a hand, not letting her continue. "That is all the lessons that we will be doing today. Now, if you will leave me be, I need to finish composing this opera." He ushered her out of the room with a flick of his hand, and shut the door behind her, leaving Christine in the hallway, alone and confused at what she had done wrong.


	11. Chapter 11

The loud ringing of his phone woke Raoul from his deep sleep, much too early for his liking. He blinked once, and glanced at the clock on his nightstand. 6 in the morning? Who would be calling him this early, especially on a Saturday? He groaned, rolling over in bed to silence the loud ringing before his neighbors registered another noise complaint against him.

"Hello?" He said, hoping it was evident in his voice that he was not amused at the early hour this person had chosen to call him at.

"Am I speaking to Raoul de Chagny?" A perky female voice spoke on the other end of the phone.

"Yes, this is him." Raoul answered, becoming more annoyed by the second. How could someone be so cheerful this early on a weekend?

"This is Meg from the tech support store, and I am just calling to let you know that we were able to track down your missing phone! It took a little while, because the phone has been dead for some time, but our advanced software was eventually able to pick it out." Raoul tightened his grip on the phone, suddenly much more interested in this call.

"That's wonderful news. Can you send me the exact location of it?" Raoul asked, sitting up in bed, fully awake now.

"We can send you what we have via the email you provided us." Meg explained to him.

"Thank you. Please send it as soon as you can." He replied.

"You will have the location within 10 minutes. Thank you for your patience, and thank you for choosing –" Raoul hung up the phone before Meg could finish talking.

Up until this moment, Raoul had felt completely helpless in the search for Christine. He had gone to the police to report it, but they didn't seem like they were in any sort of rush to help find her. A few days after getting nowhere with the police, Raoul had decided to take matters into his own hands. He had gone down to the local tech support store, and asked them to track down Christine's phone, by telling them it was his old phone that he had lost. Finally, after what had seemed like forever, he finally would know where she was.

He pushed the bed covers off his legs, and got out of bed in a hurry. He sat down at his desk across the bedroom, and opened his laptop sitting there. As soon as he did, a notification popped up; the email he was waiting for was already here.

He opened the email, and quickly typed in the location on his phone's GPS.

Nearly 600 miles away.

He opened another tab, searching for airline flights that would get him somewhat close to where Christine was. After a few minutes of searching, he was able to find one that would get him within 20 miles of the place where she was no doubt being held hostage. He just wished that he could leave sooner than three days from now, but it seemed like everything else was booked.

He bought a ticket without any hesitation, and then bought two tickets for the flight back. He had no doubt in his mind that Christine would be overjoyed to see him, and he was equally excited to see her. He just wished he knew if she was safe or not… or if she was even alive at this point…

Raoul refused to let himself think like that. He shut his laptop with a bang, a newfound feeling of hope within him. "Don't worry, Christine. I'm coming for you."


	12. Chapter 12

Christine found herself pacing outside of Erik's music room for what seemed like the millionth time that day. How long was he planning on keeping himself locked in there? He went in there just shortly after breakfast; now it was nearly suppertime and he hadn't emerged yet.

"Erik? Are you nearly done?" Christine softly knocked on the door.

No response.

Christine let out a frustrated sigh. How long was he going to ignore her like this? She had thought he had enjoyed the kiss, but he certainly wasn't acting like it. Maybe she had just imagined the attraction between them… How stupid could she be?

Christine leaned against the wall across from the room Erik was in, and sunk to a sitting position. Not having much sleep that night was starting to catch up to her, and she could feel herself slowly drifting off. Within minutes, she was completely asleep.

A few minutes later, Erik slowly opened the door. Christine shot awake at the sound of the door creaking, and got to her feet quickly before he could try to avoid her. She had to talk to him.

"Hello, Christine." Erik said curtly, not making eye contact with her. He tried to edge his way around her, but Christine put her arm against the wall, blocking his path of escape.

"What have you been doing all day? Why didn't you come out? I was starting to get worried about you. Don't you think we should have a talk?" Christine demanded, peppering him with questions.

Erik sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "I have been composing. I needed to clear my head."

Christine opened her mouth to ask him another question, but Erik cut her off before she could speak. "Christine, I apologize for kissing you during rehearsal. I got too into my character, and I couldn't control myself. I hope you can forgive me." He grabbed her by the wrist and moved her arm so that he could pass by.

Christine followed him down the hallway, obviously not ready to be done with the conversation.

"Why apologize? I know you felt it too. We had a connection! I've never felt that way about anyone before!" She spoke insistently.

Erik whipped around so quickly, that Christine nearly collided with him. "I will not be made a fool, Christine. We both know that an angel cannot love a monster."

"But you aren't a monster, Erik! And I'm going to prove it to you." Without any warning, and before Erik could even react, Christine had yanked off his mask.

Christine's eyes widened, and she gasped. She hadn't known what to expect to be under the mask, but she didn't expect this. Mangled flesh laid bare before her eyes; scars that would never heal, and deformities that were obviously there since birth.

Erik shrieked and loudly cursed her. The foolish child! Did she have no self control?

"Is this what you wanted to see? Is this really what you wanted to see? You will never be able to unsee a face so ugly and deformed!" By instinct, he brought a hand up to his face to cover the marred parts, and turned his back to her, still seething.

Christine was at a loss for words. She hadn't meant to react the way she did; it had just taken her by surprise. Yes, his face was scarred, but she didn't find this to be ugly. She didn't feel the urge to run, instead she found the urge to comfort him. She slowly reached out, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh Erik… You think that a face can make one a monster?"

He slowly turned back towards her, hand still covering his face. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Why wasn't she running in fear? No doubt she wanted to.

 _Pitiful creature of darkness,  
What kind of life have you known?  
God give me courage to show you,  
You are not alone..._

Christine softly sang the comforting lyrics to him, and closed the gap between them in a single step. At first he wouldn't make eye contact, but when she cupped his cheek, their eyes locked. Before he could pull away from her again, she brought her lips to his own and kissed him.

Erik froze. She was willingly kissing him again? After seeing his horrifying face? How could an angel still choose to love a monster? Tears sprang to his eyes as he felt true love for the first time in his life.

She brought her other hand up to his face, so that she was cupping his chin with both hands. Her fingertips grazed the marred skin on one side of his face, but she didn't shudder. This man was certainly no monster. She could feel warm teardrops fall on her hand, and taste the saltiness on her lips. Slowly, Erik wrapped his hands around her waist and started to return the kiss. His beautiful angel…

Christine felt a hard surface against her back, and realized that Erik had pushed her up against the wall. His hands moved from her waist, to her stomach, to her neck, to her hair. She reveled in his touch. For two people that had never had practice kissing before, nothing had ever seemed more natural. Their mouths moved in tandem, bodies pressed right up against each other.

After a few minutes, Erik broke the kiss so the both of them could come up for air. They pressed their foreheads together, both breathing heavily. Christine smiled at him, and giggled, feeling quite giddy.

"Oh, Christine…" He didn't realize he could ever be capable of feeling things like this. He lifted one hand to her face and stroked her hair, not wanting to break the physical touch between them. Christine bit her lip and smiled, face flushed and hair unruly.

"Perhaps we should continue this elsewhere?" Christine raised one eyebrow at him, grinning.

Erik was slightly taken aback. Was she actually suggesting…

Before he could question her motives, Christine put her hands around the back of his neck and pulled his lips back down to hers. Erik responded with equal passion, and he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to control himself. He needed her.

Suddenly, Christine pulled away from his lips, leaning forward as if she were going to whisper something in his ear.

 _Past the point  
of no return  
the final threshold -  
the bridge  
is crossed, so stand  
and watch it burn . . .  
We've passed the point  
of no return . . ._

Hearing her sing the lyrics he had written especially for her did him in, and he lost his last ounce of self control. With a low growl in the back of his throat, Erik swept her off her feet, eliciting a squeal from her. Down the hallway he carried her, pausing right outside of his bedroom door.

"You're sure, Christine?" He looked into her eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation.

Christine stared back into his eyes. "Yes." She responded in a breathy whisper that was oh-so-attractive to him.

That was all Erik needed. He kicked open the door with one foot and carried her inside, for once not bothering to shut it behind him.


End file.
